“Folks who are participating in unsafe sexual practices are not taking care. When they are infected and they don’t realize they’re infected, they continue to infect others," she said.

Hudspeth said more populated areas may have a higher number of cases because their testing program is better.

“They could be capturing more of those cases because the physicians in the area or the reporting methods used are more efficient.”

She pointed out in more rural parts of New Jersey such as Cumberland and Atlantic counties, communication and awareness may not be as available or recognized.

She said no matter where someone is living in the Garden State, “we should be aware of these things: We have to communicate with our partners or we have to communicate with our children about what’s out there and then we have to make sure we get tested regularly.”

“Just as we get our teeth cleaned or we get checkups, we need to get accurate testing to make sure that we are healthy and safe and good partners for people we are in relationships with.”

While antibiotics can cure STIs, if left untreated these infections can put people at risk for severe reproductive health complications, pain and other issues.

Hudspeth points out women can be put at increased risk for pelvic inflammatory disease, which may result in chronic pelvic pain, infertility and potentially a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most women with gonorrhea don’t have any symptoms — and even if there are, they can be mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection.

Men with gonorrhea may or may not have symptoms. In some cases, untreated gonorrhea can also spread to a patient’s blood or joints and become life threatening.

“It’s really incumbent upon all of us, no matter the age or the gender, to get tested so we’re not infecting others unintentionally,” said Hudspeth.

HOW YOUR TOWN COMPARES

Below is a list of New Jersey municipalities ranked, highest to lowest, according to the rate of reported infections. The rate could not be calculated for dozens of towns because the Department of Health obscured the exact number of cases if a municipality had 10 or fewer.

The data does not include figures for HIV/AIDS, which the state tracks separately, or other common sexually transmitted infections.